A Tour of G Dragon’s Villa – Dolce Vita

A Tour of G Dragon’s Villa – Dolce Vita

The Good

Right off the get go, let me say that this is the most gorgeous place we’ve ever been to in Korea. Holy crap. All of the other pensions feel like mud and sticks compared to this place. It’s clean and modern as hell. I feel bad for the other villas around it, which I’m sure we’d freaking love if it weren’t in the context of G Dragon’s Villa, which totally just blow them out of the water. Whoa.

The price wasn’t insane, either. Our room was $150 a night. We paid around that for our last pension we went to. We did get a cheap room, though. Some of the rooms go for $700 a night. SCREW THAT! We like you guise, but we can’t afford to drop that kinda dough to show you what this place was like. Cheap room is good enough room, thx!

The Great

The Villa is gorgeous, but the scenery is really some of the most gorgeous I’ve ever seen. Layers of mountains as you look into the valley, that little body of calm water. It’s gorgeous. So crushingly beautiful. I could sleep in a tent out there and be happy. It’s really, really nice. Here: we took some photos for you:

Sign and Number

That’s one damn sexy car!

GD’s Villa

Martina Muses

Simon Sits Pretty

Sun Setting at GD’s Villa

View from GD’s Villa

G Dragon’s Villa from a Distance

Looking Out

Martina and Simon

Going Swan Boating

Look at the Birdies

View Across the Water

Gorgeous Day

Damn!

Drinking by the Jacuzzi

The Yard in GD’s Pension

Time for Meat!

Grilling!

Yes!

The AWESOME!

Ok, this doesn’t have much to do with G-Dragon’s villa itself, but it was a lovely story. We had neighbours beside us, who also took a cheapy room. Our lawns connected. This is important to know.

Martina made some Jeon to go with our dinner for the night, but she made too much, so she decided to pack some up and offer it to our neighbours. They were really shocked, not only because we offered them food, but because I don’t think white people make jeon and give it to Korean people. Just saying…

That’s not the best part of the story. A few minutes later, they come over to our area to offer us something of theirs: A WHOLE RACK OF PORK RIBS! Hot damn! It was huge! And totally a not fair trade. We gave them stuff we made out of a package with some of our own extra ingredients. Cost a buck at most. Theirs? A lot more than a buck. Great deal! And, really, such a lovely experience that makes me fall in love with this country a little bit more. Thank you, kind Korean neighbours, for being so awesome.

The Bad

Our room was kinda lacking in some areas. The bed was hard as hell and the pillows were, too. It could just be our cushy-stushy asses that need overly soft bedding, but it was really tough for us to fall asleep. Also, the bathroom door was deadly. You didn’t see this on camera, but one time I tried to get out of the bathroom and the door fell right off and almost landed on Martina. It…needs some upkeep.

Also, as much as I think GD is cool, I don’t really want to listen to his music blasting all the time at breakfast. Sure, for the fan experience, eating breakfast in the G Dragon cafe, watching GD videos everywhere, seeing GD’s piano, big pictures of GD, would be great if you’re a fangirl or fanboy. We’re just like, yeah, that’s enough already. I’d like to just eat my eggs in a bit of quiet, please.

The Really Bad

There’s one thing we want to talk about that really upset us when we were at G Dragon’s Villa: his poor dog, Gaho. We were really excited to see Gaho, because we’re dog people and love playing with dogs, but we were really sad around Gaho. The poor dog is on a chain all day. He has a dog house built for him, but the space that he’s in isn’t big enough for a dog his size. In the morning we see him sleeping beside piles of poop and puddles of urine. In the afternoon he’s put on a short leash and just lays around all day. We didn’t see him walked once.

What’s worse: he reeks of urine and sweat. He wasn’t washed in lord knows how long. You can smell it a meter away from him. The only thing we could think of around Gaho was how sad we were that this lovely, gorgeous dog is here in the countryside, with lots of land to run around in, and a big body of water to be washed in, and he’s chained up to mope all day.

We’re not blaming GD for this. He’s not there to take care of his dog. We’re assuming his schedule became too busy so he gave his dog to the people managing the Villa, and probably assumes that they’re going to take good care of the dog. GD: if you’re reading this, hire someone to play with your dog. Get someone to bathe him. He’s so sad there.

Also, we saw a sad cat on a leash tied up to the garbage. He sat in a small box. Every time you walked up to him he’d hop out purring and meowing and begging for attention. I leaned over to pet him and he grabbed onto my finger and licked my hands non-stop. As soon as I tried to walk away he grabbed onto my legs and didn’t let me go, and meowed as I backed away. The cat was covered in mange, with hair falling off his ears and patches of it falling off his body as well.

Why chain up a cat? I don’t get it. It’s the countryside. Let them run free. They’ll go out and get rid of any rats or bugs, and come back to you at night for dinner time and snuggles. Keeping a sad mangy cat tied up to the dumpster is heartbreaking.

We spoke with our friends, Nic and Hugh from MyKoreanHusband about this, and they’ve noticed similar mistreating of animals in the countryside. Animals are just tied up all day and neglected. That just seems to be the lay of the land. Fine. I’m not trying to impose my Western Colonialist ways on Korea or anything that Tumblr would SocialJusticeWarrior about, but I don’t think it’s unfair of me to ask GD to get someone to take better care of his animals, no?

Let us know what you think. Altogether, we still had a lovely time at G-Dragon’s Villa, and it’s one of the nicest places we’ve ever been to in Korea. From now on, if we ever want a weekend getaway, instead of going to a hotel or something, we’re heading out to Dolce Vita. But, that doesn’t change that our first time there we were often quite sad about the animals.

On a less sad note, we’ve got some extra scenes and bloopers from the day. Check em out!

We’ve got a few more videos that we made out of the road trip. Martina’s recipe for Doenjjang Jjigae was really surprisingly delicious, and that should be coming up next week, and the week after that we’ll show you what a Korean Rest Stop/Pit Stop is like. We were far more excited about it than we should have been. Make sure you don’t miss out on any of these videos by clicking on this pretty link right here:

You don’t blame GD for the condition his dog is in? I do. Absolutely. It’s HIS dog. He shouldn’t have gotten a dog if his schedule is so busy, or he should find someone responsible to take care of him.
And the cat, on a leash stuck to garbage? Absolutely ridiculous.

I’m a huge fan of GD, but I care more about animals than someone’s music.

Hello there~!
I plan on visiting this villa in February (as well as the You Are Here Cafe-can’t wait) for my 21st birthday trip. I was wondering if there was any way you guys could post some helpful information on actually booking the room and getting there from downtown Seoul.
I’ll probably be staying in Gangnam, and since I don’t fluently speak Korean, I’d really appreciate the help-as I will most likely be making this trek out by myself. D;

i found this page recently and i think that it can help you.It guide you on how to book and how to get there and also the pricing of the rooms…Other than that i think they also have the website address written in the blog post.

My dog and cat are like my children. That particular breed of dog needs a bath more frequently than other breeds of dogs due to his wrinkles. My sister had one and she had to bathe him at least every 3 weeks. As for his being chained up, I wouldn’t have a problem with It if they brought him into the house for the hottest part of the day at least. Cleaning up after your pet is a responsible thing to do esp if its a housing area. Then again thats just my opinion. I know they do their pets different over there. At least they feed him.

In Lithuania’s vilage you can often see dogs on the chais, special in old people houses :( but cat’s never, they always live free. Very sad that GD’s dog and cat is in that situation, better if they found new home if people can’t to take care

Took me waaaayyy too long to reply to this… but I cannot believe you guise play the ‘guess the k-pop song’ on car trips too. Our version though is that you have to meow the song — try it with Fantastic Baby. We seriously thought we were onto a winner here in terms of cool new games for long car trips, and then we saw this… mew mew meeeewwww.

Poor animals! As a child in a lower-lower middle class urban neighborhood in the Philippines, I grew up thinking it was normal to have a dog chained, or in a small cage, since it was like that for every family. Also, animals were fed only leftovers, or spoiled food. It was not common to actually buy or prepare food for your pets. I remember in school we were taught that a dog is there to guard the house and a cat is there to catch the mice, nothing about companionship, or love, or animals being a part of the family. I suppose this is also the prevailing attitude in rural areas in Korea.

When I was eight my family moved to a rural area and that was where I started seeing kids playing with dogs and people petting cats! Now I have a dog and two cats, and they are mostly indoor pets but we make sure to walk the dog daily. A portion of our household budget goes to their food, supplies, and vet care. Those in the older generation would think it’s such a waste, so I don’t let them know.

Haha, this was a really good video! I was worried that the pension would be super disappointing, but I still want to go now! Buuut, it will be for next time I go to Korea, I am going back home to Norway in about three weeks. How could three months go so quickly?! T^T About dogs: My school is really in the countryside, and there are so so many dogs here. All of them go totally bananas when they see you, barking so intense. I’m not really scared of dogs, but whoa, those dogs creep me out. But yes, they are chained the whole day. I have never seen anyone walking or playing with them. Now it’s getting so hot here, I feel really bad for them. And who wouldn’t want to pamper sweet Gaho everyday? A big minus for a great pension :/

Exactly. It’s like people in the US who buy bunnies for their kids on Easter, but have no idea how to train them or treat them right. Sad as it is, almost all of those bunnies are then thrown away . Literally thrown away.

Seeing the animals chained up made me sad, too. That’s really horrible and disgusting to see. Everything else looked nice but once you showed the puppy, I couldn’t really enjoy the video. Obviously not your fault!!!! Just saying, though. That’s very abusive to the poor boy.

I want to say I’d totally visit there, and I would, but if only to take the dog and cat home with me. :( That’s just absolutely unacceptable.

that’s why my parents never gave into me because they knew we would not be able to support a dog in the long term.
Looking back I’m happy my parents stood firm and did not get me a dog. I know many of my friends that got puppies and kittens and a lot of them realize there is too much responsibility and would either neglect them or give them back to the puppy mills.

Instead of me being all happy and fangirling about GD’s pension…I’m just really sad about the mistreatment of animals :( I would’ve volunteered to wash him! or like at least get a bucket and fill it up with water from the lake and splash it on him! UGH it makes me really sad and agitated hearing animals being treated like that T.T It’s because I have a dog and I can’t imagine someone doing that to him!

GD’s my most favorite idol ever (after TOP of course XD) but it saddens me after hearing about the animals. He should get some new caretakers. I would happily volunteer ^.^… Except I don’t live in Korea… Thanks for the honest tour! It was really fun to watch XD

As an animal rights activist, I completely agree with you guys. Those animals should be taken care of better, and I totally understand that GD is super busy, but it’s his responsibility to make sure his companions are taken care of. I love GD so this was really upsetting for me to find out, and those of you trying to justify the mistreatment of these animals, SHAME ON YOU! If celebrities that are busier than GD can take care of their companions, then GD can do it as well. I know if I was GD I’d be very angry to know that my companions were treated like that. Poor Gaho, Jolie, and kitty :(

hmm I’m confused, I posted a comment here yesterday and now it seems to have disappeared…
I was just saying that this is one sexy looking blog post and that I love the poppy-uppy photo captions, are they new? or maybe it’s because I’m using chrome instead of firefox now

Any time I travel abroad and see animals neglected or mistreated, it ruins at least the rest of the day, if not the rest of the vacation for me. In Mexico, I saw a baby jaguar who had probably been stolen from his mother, purposefully kept hungry so that tourists would come and bottlefeed it while they got their pictures taken (for a price). It grabbed the bottle and gobbled down as much as it could every time. And once these cubs get too big, they’re killed. In Taipei’s night markets, there’s a pet section where I saw these sad cats kept on like 2-ft leashes. Every time someone came by they ran towards them, begging for attention, only to be stopped short because the leash was pulled taut, like a cruel joke. With each incident I pretty much burst into tears. Had I seen the tied up cat I would have been tempted to take it with me and bring it to the vet/allow it to roam/feed it a good diet, etc. I’m not sure it would have been missed.

I know S&M already talked about pet culture and how it just hasn’t reached the same level as it has in NA, but think of your own pet (if you have one). There isn’t an excuse no matter who you are and how busy you are, especially if you have the resources, to make sure your animals are well-cared for even if you have to leave them.

Took my little British Shorthair mind a moment or two to work this out… you mean not all kitties like me have it so good? My Mummy was sad when she read this blog post and when I went to comfort her by rubbing my tail in her face she got even sadder. She said that when she was in Korea a month ago she thought about going to GD’s pension but she is glad she didn’t go now because if she did it would make her too sad… or that I would have a new brother or sister cat that she would rescue and bring home to be treated like a princess like me.

I’m really happy she didn’t go actually. I have enough trouble with the Abyssinian cat they brought home last time when my parents went out for a new ‘brother or sister’.

But if it was Dr Meemers they brought home, well. Ahem. Tee hee hee. That would be a different question. He is so hot!! **Nobody ouch my Meemers Oppa ever — I will scratch your eyes out.**

For a second I thought you were actually going to GD’s house and I was so surprised you got permission for that XD -twiddles thumbs- Anywhoo, this video was SUPER entertaining to watch :’) And I feel so bad about the dog (like the situations bad enough but considering he’s in the country, it makes it 100x worse!)

When I was watching your video, I was hoping you would write something about the animals in your post because I was absolutely shocked at how these poor things were living. I really shouldn’t be shocked considering how far-behind on animal protection and treatment Korea is compared to North America. Honestly, I live in the US, and I know that some places would deem this animal mistreatment and the ASPCA would get involved.

Animals need to be loved and cared for. At the very least, they should at least be allowed more freedom than they are currently receiving. It breaks my heart to see something like this happening, especially when the pension is dedicated to a very influential person who is now setting a poor example for how people should treat animals.

I’m not sure how much good it will do, but I tweeted G-Dragon about how I felt as though the animals at his pension should be better cared for. Maybe if enough people talk about it, something will get done about it? Ahhhh. I don’t know.

Actually, what would have been highly disappointing is if they hadn’t said anything at all because it could risk their relationship with the k-pop industry. By speaking out about what they’ve seen they are sending a message that they don’t care who it is, if they see something wrong they are going to speak up about it.
I hope they did ask questions too. But seriously, if I saw a cat chained up (even without the mange and a desperation for attention) I would think something was seriously wrong. As to the rest of your rant: They don’t even say that the cat is GD’s, they say that there was a cat. They also don’t say that GD is currently caring for his dog (heck, this is a direct quote: “We’re not blaming GD for this. He’s not there to take care of his dog.”), they say the staff are supposed to be. So rather than aiming a post such as this at them, you should consider reading what has been said and directing fans that are accusing GD of animal abuse to do the same. Who would have thought it, but if you intend to leave an angry comment, I guess reading now comes with responsibility, too.

Wow. That makes me super sad and super angry about the poor doggie and kitty. They should have tons of space to run around and play in. It sounds like even my indoor kitty who gazes longingly outside has more room to run and jump around in. Plus the Kitty will be fine to roam on his own. He’ll come back.

Gaho should have a super huge kennel in the back where he can run and play. Gah. This makes me so angry.

“GD: if you’re reading this, hire someone to play with your dog.”
Me: I volunteer as tribute!!!

Oh man, I am joining you in the complaint about mistreatment of animals. I wouldn’t know about Korea, but I lived in Malaysia for a while, and animals are seriously mistreated there. The rare animals parks that I went to – I dislike them for that reason – has individual cages for most of the animals, with no companion to play with. Even when there were several of them and the cage was quite nice, they looked lonely and sad as hell. Birds couldn’t fly, because they had a 6 cube meter space to live in. Butterflies were left dead, with visitors taking pictures, just because it was pretty. I remember a gorgeous racoon looking at me with his sad eyes and pressing his paw on the fence – it broke my heart to just leave him like this. Insects and aquatic animals in aquariums press themselves to the side of their tiny cages, hoping to break free. There were deer in a huge place with trees, but almost no greenery, and seeing how eager they were when the visitors came to feed them – as they did in that place – they must not be fed much else. One of them had a swollen wound on his face that was obviously way past infection, and when I told the staff, he dismissed it. There was an ostrich, hardly moving, having trouble breathing, like asthma, and I’m pretty sure its wing was broken – you could see the bone. And the streets of Kuala Lumpur are full of stray cats and dogs that hardly anybody takes care of. Some of them are so loving and friendly, it physically hurt to have to leave them there. And I heard of much worse stories in zoos I haven’t visited.

Obviously, a lot of people love animals and take care of them. I met a woman who regularly fed stray cats and she told me that they could get sterilised or castrated for cheap at the vet, provided anybody took them there. I went to an elephant forest where they take care of orphans and give them a jungle to live in, train them, and give them jobs to do. They looked healthy, happy and well-fed.

But it just infuriates me how heartless people can be toward other creatures. I’m not asking them to give them sirloin steak and a king-size bed to sleep in. Just a bit of space to move around, enough food, a decent environment, decent treatment and a bit of love. Hell, if I could, I’d build a giant park for all these animals to live in. That’s what I’d do if I had tons of money!

TL;DR – I completely understand what made you mad. I try not to think about all of this or it will drive me insane.
Why though? Love the animals! They’re just like us, it’s all they want: a little bit of love.

I like sharpies! We had one when I was little. They require a lot of attention! :( Poor Gaho and poor kitty. I can understand a cage and even a leash, but not on a constant basis. Human interaction, play time, walkies, getting a bath, treats, cuddles…. Those are important for any animal!
My husband and I just got a hedgehog, and we made her cage using two plastic bins. It’s decently sized, and bigger then suggested for hedgies, but it still seems too small when I think of where they live in the wild. So we take her out a lot and give her lots of cuddles and roam time and tons of mealworms. Mmmm, mealies….
I really love that you guys are super honest about everything. It makes watching your videos better. Don’t beat around the bush and just get it over with! That’s how I was raised….
I am quite curious, though, about something. My husband and I love to hike and go camping. We heard there’s some good hiking places in South Korea. Do you know anything about that? Maybe, possibly, go out and make a video one day?? We live way over in Washington, where the hiking is great, but I would love to go to Korea for a month or so, and just visit all over and go hiking and camping!! See your awesome studio, eat great food, see pretty places… one day :)